Search results

The purpose of this research paper is to explore the determinants of patients' service choices between telephone consultation and text consultation in online health communities (OHCs).

This study utilized an empirical model based on the elaboration likelihood model and examined the effect of information, regarding service quality (the central route) and service price (the peripheral route), using online health consultation data from one of the largest OHCs in China.

The logistic regression results indicated that both physician- and patient-generated information can influence the patients' service choices; service price signals will lead patients to cheaper options. However, individual motivations, disease risk and consulting experience change a patients' information processing regarding central and peripheral cues.

Previous researchers have investigated the mechanism of patient behavior in OHCs; however, the researchers have not focused on the patients' choices regarding the multiple health services provided in OHCs. The findings of this study have theoretical and practical implications for future researchers, OHC designers and physicians.

This paper aims to examine the valuation precision of composite models in each of six key industries in South Africa. The objective is to ascertain whether equity-based composite multiples models produce more accurate equity valuations than optimal equity-based, single-factor multiples models.

This study applied principal component regression and various mathematical optimisation methods to test the valuation precision of equity-based composite multiples models vis-à-vis equity-based, single-factor multiples models.

The findings confirmed that equity-based composite multiples models consistently produced valuations that were substantially more accurate than those of single-factor multiples models for the period between 2001 and 2010. The research results indicated that composite models produced up to 67 per cent more accurate valuations than single-factor multiples models for the period between 2001 and 2010, which represents a substantial gain in valuation precision.

The evidence, therefore, suggests that equity-based composite modelling may offer substantial gains in valuation precision over single-factor multiples modelling.

In light of the fact that analysts’ reports typically contain various different multiples, it seems prudent to consider the inclusion of composite models as a more accurate alternative.

This study adds to the existing body of knowledge on the multiples-based approach to equity valuations by presenting composite modelling as a more accurate alternative to the conventional single-factor, multiples-based modelling approach.

The current study aims to identify work-related use of information and communication technologies after-hours (W_ICTs) from passive and active perspectives and examine mechanisms and different effects of information and communication technologies on employee innovation behavior.

Experience sampling method (ESM) was employed to capture dynamic within-person variance in daily-behaviors and daily-mood. In total, 92 employees completed an identical online survey each day for ten workdays.

The findings showed that the influence patterns and mechanisms of passive and active W_ICTs were utterly different. Passive W_ICTs was negatively associated with employee innovation behavior via emotional exhaustion, while active W_ICTs was positively associated with employee innovation behavior through perceived insider status. Furthermore, differential leadership significantly narrowed the positive relationship between passive W_ICTs and emotional exhaustion. However, differential leadership did not significantly moderate the relationship between active W_ICTs and perceived insider status.

This study is an important step forward in dividing W_ICTs into passive and active W_ICTs and discovers a dual path of two types of W_ICTs on employee innovation behavior. Findings of this study have heuristic value for future research.

Le terme de «grands voyages intercontinentaux» est peut‐être condamné dans un proche avenir. Il marquerait la dernière phase d'une exploration de notre planète se situant à la fin du XXe siècle. En effet, lorsqu'on peut aller d'Europe en Amérique en 6 ou 7 heures (par les avions à réaction) ou de Paris au Japon en 30 heures (par les avions classiques et la route arctique) peut‐on encore parler, d'un continent à l'autre, de «grands voyages»?

Les découvertes importantes faites par des équipes de préhistoriciens et d'anthropologues entre les an‐nées 1950 – 1970 dans la région du Nil moyen (KENYA,TANZANIE, ETHIOPIE), mettant à jour des milliers de fossiles concernant les premiers éges de la vie de l'homme il y a 1 500 000 ans (sites d'Oldu‐vai et d'Omo), nous permettent aujourd'hui de repenser le comportement erratique de nos lointains anctres sur la planète Terre dans une vision beaucoup plus large.

Online vigilance is a novel construct which describes individual differences in users' cognitive orientation to online connectedness, their attention to and integration of online-related cues and stimuli and their prioritisation of online communication. Its proponents argue that it is acquired through the processes of instrumental and attentional training that underlie media use behaviours. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the role of three personal characteristics (emotional intelligence, rumination and identity distress) as predictors of online vigilance in addition to media use behaviour.

The authors adopted an exploratory frame and followed a survey-methodology to collect data among a sample of university students (n = 812). The resulting data were analysed through a hierarchical multiple regression process in which four models were considered.

The findings indicate that while media use behaviours (daily smartphone use, social media use, messaging, video watching and media multitasking) predict online vigilance, their combined effect is weak. However, when considering these behaviours in combination with trait rumination and identity distress, a moderate effect is observable.

While the findings do not permit causal inference, it suggests that two personal characteristics, trait rumination and identity distress, play an important role in determining an individual's tendency or ability to psychologically disconnect from their online spheres. This provides an initial step towards the theorisation of online vigilance and the identification of individuals who may be at risk of acquiring it.

Online vigilance is a novel construct which has only been investigated in a small number of studies. However, its emphasis on psychological connectedness presents a unique and important development in the context of permanently online, permanently connected living. The present study is the first to explore its association with personal characteristics.

The purpose of this paper is to reform the multi-cultural education in China so as to construct a homogenous education model.

Based on the appeal for multi-ethnic culture development of the era and the possibilities for constructing multi-cultural education in China, this paper proposed paths to construct multi-cultural education in China.

First, this paper explains the reasons to construct a multi-cultural education in china: the intrinsic appeals for multi-ethnic culture development; the increasing culture exchange during economy transformation; foreign culture shock in the setting of globalization. Second, it indicates the possibilities for establishing multi-cultural education in China: the arrival of the multi-cultural era and the education ideal of “Unity without Uniformity.” Third, it points out the paths to construct Chinese multi-cultural education: to establish an educational policy with core socialist value; to perfect Chinese multi-cultural education policies; to construct a multi-cultural education model.

This paper points out the paths to construct Chinese multi-cultural education: to establish an educational policy with core socialist value; to perfect Chinese multi-cultural education policies; to construct a multi-cultural education model.

This paper analyzes the possibilities and paths for constructing multi-cultural education in China and would be helpful for reforming multi-cultural education in China.

This research investigates how to optimize storage location assignment to decrease the order picking time and the waiting time of orders in the staging area of low-temperature logistics centers, with the goal of reducing food loss caused by temperature abuse.

The authors applied ABC clustering to the products in a simulated database of historical orders modeled after the actual order pattern of a large cold logistics company; then, the authors mined the association rules and calculated the sales volume correlation indices of the ordered products. Finally, the authors generated three different simulated order databases to compare order picking time and waiting time of orders in the staging area under eight different storage location assignment strategies.

All the eight proposed storage location assignment strategies significantly improve the order picking time (by up to 8%) and the waiting time of orders in the staging area (by up to 22%) compared with random placement.

The results of this research are based on a case study and simulated data, which implies that, if the best performing strategies are applied to different environments, the extent of the improvements may vary. Additionally, the authors only considered specific settings in terms of order picker routing, zoning and batching: other settings may lead to different results.

A storage location assignment strategy that adopts dispersion and takes into consideration ABC clustering and shipping frequency provides the best performance in minimizing order picker's travel distance, order picking time, and waiting time of orders in the staging area. Other strategies may be a better fit if the company's objectives differ.

Previous research on optimal storage location assignment rarely considered item association rules based on sales volume correlation. This study combines such rules with several storage planning strategies, ABC clustering, and two warehouse layouts; then, it evaluates their performance compared to the random placement, to find which one minimizes the order picking time and the order waiting time in the staging area, with a 30-min time limit to preserve the integrity of the cold chain. Order picking under these conditions was rarely studied before, because they may be irrelevant when dealing with temperature-insensitive items but become critical in cold warehouses to prevent temperature abuse.

The development of tourism in developing countries has hitherto been based almost exclusively on foreign visitor tourism (incoming tourism) with its promise of foreign exchange earnings. Possible negative social implications of this tourism have however led to voices being raised in the industrial countries as well, suggesting that the expansion of inland vacation tourism is not only of greater advantage in the long term from the point of view of social policy, but also in overall economic terms.

This paper develops a typology of omnichannel retailer activities and corresponding customer responses during a rapidly changing external coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic environment, to contribute towards academic research on omnichannel strategies and to assist retailers when making future investment and resource decisions.

Implementing a dual desk research process, the authors carry out a document review of 61 retailers operating globally and connected customer reviews and categorise them using a content analysis.

The findings show that retailers employ a multitude of new omnichannel strategies during a pandemic and implement new or upgraded cross-channel services. Customer data show that delivery and customer service issues largely persist. The authors divide retailer actions and microfoundations into five broad categories and present a typology of strategic retailer activities and customer responses.

This research presents insights into omnichannel strategies from both a retailer and customer perspective, and offers guidance on improving the implementation of future omnichannel strategies.